Emergency Preparedness – The Sesame Workshop Bloghttp://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog
Wed, 30 Nov 2016 18:06:00 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.4Being Here for Each Other in Oklahomahttp://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/2013/06/03/being-here-for-each-other-in-oklahoma/
http://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/2013/06/03/being-here-for-each-other-in-oklahoma/#respondMon, 03 Jun 2013 18:57:49 +0000http://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/?p=2737Mindy Brooks is Director of Education and Research for Sesame Workshop. My first vivid memory of a tornado was the day my sister was born. I was 4 years old, it was nighttime, and I was alone with my grandmother who spent the majority of her adult years in Papua New Guinea. I vividly remember hearing […]

]]>Mindy Brooks is Director of Education and Research for Sesame Workshop.

My first vivid memory of a tornado was the day my sister was born. I was 4 years old, it was nighttime, and I was alone with my grandmother who spent the majority of her adult years in Papua New Guinea. I vividly remember hearing the voice of Gary England (an Oklahoma meteorologist) giving advice about the storm and telling us to quickly take cover. To my preschool brain it was targeted solely for us and our house. I remember the panic my grandma expressed as she was new to tornados. I remember talking about how to take cover, securing the mattress over us in the bathtub, and holding on to her. And, even more vividly, I remember the feeling of fear that my parents weren’t there to protect me.

Tornados aren’t new to Oklahomans. We have multiple warnings a year and taking cover was, and is, a frequent process. We practice drills in school, all the way through high school. In my family, we receive notices from my dad about tornadic weather and we are on alert about when we need to take cover. It was something we don’t take lightly and something to always be prepared for. We know the drill; when the sirens start blowing, we grab our dog and a couple personal possessions and drive to the local university or church to take cover in the basements. In situations where we don’t have time to drive to a basement, we grab our mattresses for cover, put on bicycle helmets, and hunker down in the hallway (our current house has windows in every room). We hope and pray for the best and then ride out the storm not knowing if our lives will be the same again.

It was that kind of day on May 20th, except this time I was in New York and my family and loved ones were taking cover without me. We knew the tornado threat was high as we had ongoing family text messages the night before. As national news was breaking about the tornado, I was trying to connect with my family. One of my sisters, a third grade teacher, was doing her best to keep her students safe and calm as they went into tornado lockdown multiple times throughout the day. As my sister was on lockdown, my friends, who live in Moore and right in the tornado zone, were rushing to find their children and recounts it as the longest hour of their lives. One was frantically driving to their 4-year-olds preschool only to be forced to pull off the road and watch the tornado tear apart Moore. The other one was forced to run 3 miles to their home because the tornado had destroyed everything. Thankfully, their children are safe and the house is standing. The tornado hit 300 yards away from her front door. Yet so many others were not so fortunate.

Tragedies like this remind us of the importance of tornado preparedness. Although my friends’ 4-year- old is safe, she has been left with many “why” questions. It reminds me that children need to know what to do and why readiness is important. They also need to know why it happens, especially as parents all around Oklahoma struggle with what to tell their preschoolers. Words can’t take away the fear, the mixed emotions, and the questions, but they can help heal and strengthen us for future emergencies. That is why we, at Sesame Workshop, provide resources for families – to help families prepare and to also help them recover. The Here For Each Other outreach initiative can help parents with young children find the words they need to help their children cope during this difficult time.

]]>http://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/2013/06/03/being-here-for-each-other-in-oklahoma/feed/0With a Little Help from Sesame Street: A Teacher’s Story of How Her Class Survived a Stormhttp://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/2012/12/20/with-a-little-help-from-sesame-street-a-teachers-story-of-how-her-class-survived-a-storm/
http://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/2012/12/20/with-a-little-help-from-sesame-street-a-teachers-story-of-how-her-class-survived-a-storm/#respondThu, 20 Dec 2012 12:48:16 +0000http://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/?p=2166I have taught in a K-4 elementary school for twenty-five years. The school is located at the south end of a beautiful old seaport on the south shore of Long Island, the last exit before Jones Beach. I lived here for over thirty of my adult years, and as a child, my family docked our […]

Image via blackrose916... on Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.

I have taught in a K-4 elementary school for twenty-five years. The school is located at the south end of a beautiful old seaport on the south shore of Long Island, the last exit before Jones Beach. I lived here for over thirty of my adult years, and as a child, my family docked our boat behind an antique shop on one of the canals. I remember families of otters swimming in front of the boat and real church baptisms held on the opposite bank from our dock. A lot of things have changed here over the years, and a lot of the old Victorian homes have seen better times, but it is still a beautiful place.

The school was built fifty years ago, a blue two story building opposite a large park, and at the head of a canal that is home to many restaurants, fishing boats, and party boats. It is a popular Long Island destination especially in summer. From the classrooms, you can hear the horns blow as the fishing boats go out for half day charters in the early afternoon. Mergansers, gannets, and Canadian geese spend time in the park across from the school. Sometimes you can spot what looks like a football floating on the canal and upon second look realize that it is a seal. I have always felt lucky to be here.

Several times in my experience, the moon and a storm combined to cause flooding that necessitated the evacuation of our school to a nearby school for the day. The water would come up in the street quickly and cover everything from the front step of the school, go across the park, and right up to the houses on the far side of the park. The water never came higher than that and receded before the next day. We would be put in big yellow school buses with our class wondering if our cars would be OK upon our return. We would spend flood day crowded into another schools gym or cafeteria and have an adventure to tell that evening. The homeowners in the area were used to sump pumps and moving things of value to a higher floor. Some had had their homes raised up with government grant money made available to alleviate the flooding problem.

Image via spleeness on Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.

Sandy was different. No one who had survived years of storms safely at home in the past could have imagined what was to happen. Homes were lifted right off their foundations only to be slammed down again by the next wave causing beams to shatter. The boatyards had stacks of shrink-wrapped boats ready for winter, and these were strewn for blocks, broken and causing destruction to homes in their path. The father of one little girl in my class told me about watching a dumpster that was being used in a renovation several doors away, start to float toward his home. It got snagged between a tree and a mailbox. Eventually the tree gave way and waves caused the dumpster to smash into the side of his house repeatedly. Water in the house was already half way up toward the second floor where he had sent his wife and children. The siding on the house was torn off, but fortunately the wall of the house held. If it had broken through, the family might not have made it.

I cannot think of any family from our town that was not affected in some way. People here are hardworking and if they own their home, it is their only asset. No one has vacation homes, and many were renting basement apartments, now flooded. Many parents work at jobs that pay by the hour and had to miss work due to the storm. Others have no job to go back to because the business is too damaged. Many have extra people staying in their apartment. Some are staying with friends and family away from this community. One grandmother told me that she drives her grandchildren one hour from Suffolk County in the morning and the children do not get back to her home until eight in the evening. Then they start dinner, homework, and a new bedtime routine, only to wake early for another long drive back to school.

Those who stayed have lived for weeks without heat or electricity. The damage caused by the salt water requires that every home in the flood area be inspected before electricity or gas can be restored. Homes have stickers posted- red for condemned, yellow for needing an electrician, and green for OK to restore. Some have a yellow sticker because they lack the funds to hire an electrician to do the necessary repairs. 11% of families here live below the poverty level. There is a large immigrant population where language is a barrier to dealing with FEMA and insurers. The day after Thanksgiving, I did manage to understand when a mother hugged me and told me that she had no way to provide hot food for her family. This was a month after the storm.

Image via CasualCapture on Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.

Six inches of water entered the first floor of the school. There are levels 1, 2, and 3 contaminants in the water, 3 being the worst. Level 3 contaminated water entered in the school and wicked up the walls about one foot. This caused asbestos tiles that had been tight to lift up, the gym floor to buckle, and lots and lots of shelves of books to be ruined. And then we could anticipate mold growth. The school needed extensive repairs, followed by testing of the air quality before it could be used again.

Children were out of class for two weeks and then relocated to the four other elementary schools in the town – one grade to each of the buildings. Teachers were given a short time to go into our classrooms and place post-it notes on items we considered essential to our work during the relocation. We were not to disturb anything, and items we marked were cleaned, packed and moved to the new school. The instruction was to think like you were packing for air travel and to try to pack light. I followed orders, and found that my age was an advantage because I was able to recreate most things I needed using chart paper and magic markers. Two days into my new space they delivered a portable blackboard and I was back in business. I was prepared to carry on with the academics, but soon found that the emotional needs of students and parents after Sandy had to be of first concern.

Armed with lists, I did some detective work and was able to reach most of my families after the storm and learn of their situations – who had lost their home, who was without power and heat, and who was housing friends and relatives. After hearing the stories of survival their parents told, I knew that the children would have a lot to share when we arrived at our relocation school. I constructed microphones for all the K and 1 classes from tin foil, duct tape, and toilet paper tubes. That first day, every child had an opportunity to speak into the microphone and tell his/her story.

I also emailed Sesame Street for help, and boy did I get help! First I was sent several copies of the dvd Sesame Street Gets Through a Storm along with discussion points. In this episode Big Bird’s nest is destroyed in a hurricane and everyone in the neighborhood offers support and helps him rebuild. My first graders thought that they were too old for Sesame Street at first, but there was a real connection as they watched and heard Big Bird voice some of their feelings about the storm. Some of my children are now afraid of the dark and hesitant to take risks. They spoke of wearing their “other” clothes, meaning they only had two outfits. Others came in modeling beautiful new donated coats. All of them had been trying so hard to be good during a tough time – giving up their bed to a relative, or missing favorite toys. Big Bird’s voicing of his feelings gave permission for them to open up. Several hours after viewing the dvd, one of my brightest little girls took me aside and confided that she felt like Big Bird; that she was mad at the hurricane too. This dvd gave us an opportunity to address the emotional impact of Sandy.

Big Bird also had his teddy bear Radar with him. We spoke about sleep problems that most children said they have had since the storm. Another day the class brought in their favorite sleep toy and showed them, and spoke about how they help us comfort ourselves. One boy’s father drew his bear for him to bring in because the real bear was lost in the storm. Then everyone drew their bad dreams and threw the pictures into the trash with great ceremony. Hopefully time and sharing their fears with the class will help everyone get better sleep.

The adults are trying so hard to return their homes and families back to normal, that they haven’t allowed themselves to address their own emotions after this life -changing storm. I found parents to be fragile and in need of comfort as well as their children. Any small delay at dismissal would have parents rushing in to scoop their child up in their arms. Children would report a minor playground incident and the parent would be at school early the next morning rather than sending a note or making a phone call. I got the feeling that it was a delayed reaction –“ I was powerless against this storm and I almost lost my child. I’m going to save them now.” Parents who had coped with so much just couldn’t handle any extra stress. Again Sesame Street had an answer for us. Copies of Here for Each Other: Helping Families After Emergencies were sent to every home in my class. This booklet helps parents talk to their child about what has happened, and to convey a sense of hope that things will look up again. It had pictures of favorite Sesame Street characters for the children to color as well.

I shared all the wonderful resources from Sesame Street with teachers from our host school. Their students are also from this community and also survived Sandy. The host teachers, while welcoming to us relocated teachers, were inconvenienced by our presence. Benjamin Franklin’s quote about fish and guests both stinking after three days is only too true, so I was happy to have something to share that was of such value.

We are back home now. The closets had to be removed due to water and most of the supplies were piled in boxes. On the Monday the children returned we sang “We’ll be Home for Christmas,” and exchanged hugs and happy tears. It was a great day. It has been an adventure and an adjustment but it is still a big step back toward normalcy. The math and dental materials from Sesame Street that I returned with have been enjoyed by all. Thanks so much for being a wonderful resource for my children.

]]>http://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/2012/12/20/with-a-little-help-from-sesame-street-a-teachers-story-of-how-her-class-survived-a-storm/feed/0Here for Each Other: Helping Families in the Aftermath of Sandyhttp://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/2012/12/05/here-for-each-other-helping-families-in-the-aftermath-of-sandy/
http://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/2012/12/05/here-for-each-other-helping-families-in-the-aftermath-of-sandy/#respondWed, 05 Dec 2012 18:58:57 +0000http://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/?p=2066Hurricane Sandy was an unprecedented super storm that hit parts of the East Coast badly, and we at Sesame knew we wanted to do anything we could to help those affected by it. Fortunately, a few years ago we had created Here for Each Other: Helping Families After An Emergency, an outreach resource that we […]

]]>Hurricane Sandy was an unprecedented super storm that hit parts of the East Coast badly, and we at Sesame knew we wanted to do anything we could to help those affected by it. Fortunately, a few years ago we had created Here for Each Other: Helping Families After An Emergency, an outreach resource that we knew could be helpful in getting families through this tough time. We reached out to our various partners to offer up this resource, and were relieved to find that so many of them were already doing such wonderful work in their communities, helping families through the aftermath of the storm. In particular, a partner in our Healthy Habits for Life initiative, the US Department of Health and Human Services, Region II, (HHS) was already working with other federal agencies to support the response and recovery efforts for communities impacted by the storm. We wanted to support them in any way we could.

We decided one way Sesame could help was to bring Abby Cadabby to meet and greet those most affected by the storm, those who could benefit from a little lightness in their lives after all they had gone through. Two weeks ago, our first site visit with HHS was a Red Cross shelter that had been set up in a gymnasium at Nassau Community College on Long Island, an area hit hard by the hurricane. Armed with the Here for Each Other resources, activity sheets, stickers, toys, and DVDs, we stopped by the shelter to visit the families and children who had been displaced there. The shelter was home to about 700 people, all of whom had been located there after much damage to their homes and some who no longer had homes to go back to. They were spending their days in a huge gym, with not much more than a cot and some personal belongings to call their own, as they struggled to try to rebuild their lives post-storm.

Abby visited the play area set up for the young children at this shelter, where volunteers from Save the Children and Children’s Disaster Services had been offering support to the 30 or so children who were spending time at the shelter. Because most of them had gone back to school and resumed some normalcy in their lives, there were only a handful of children present at the time we were there, but the joy Abby brought to those children, and even the adults at the shelter, was remarkable. It was a truly amazing experience to be a part of these relief efforts, not only to be there to provide tangible resources for these providers and the families they serve, but to bring a bit of lightness to those who have been going through so much.

The day after the Red Cross shelter visit with HHS, we headed to HOPES Head Start in Hoboken, another city devastated by the hurricane. Again we showed up with a bunch of Sesame books, DVDs, outreach materials, and the Here for Each Other resources, not knowing what to expect and who we would meet. The school had just re-opened a little more than a week after the hurricane had hit, so all of these children had been impacted by the storm in one way or another. There were about 80 pre-school children who were all so thrilled to meet Abby, and after the long week they had gone through, we were thrilled to bring some happiness to these children and their teachers.

While we at Sesame are not the ones on the ground doing the necessary and exhausting relief and recovery work, the fact that the resources and materials we produce can help a community in need, give families reassurance that whatever they are going through they are not alone, and bring a little bit of joy to those who need it, well, that is exactly why we do the work we do. We’re grateful for wonderful partners like HHS who gave us the opportunity to do these site visits and bring our resources into the communities in need of them. For all of the wonderful and resilient people we met who are going through so much- we are here for you.

]]>http://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/2012/12/05/here-for-each-other-helping-families-in-the-aftermath-of-sandy/feed/0Sesame Workshop Helps Support and Reassure in the Wake of Sandyhttp://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/2012/11/08/sesame-workshop-helps-support-and-reassure-in-the-wake-of-sandy/
http://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/2012/11/08/sesame-workshop-helps-support-and-reassure-in-the-wake-of-sandy/#respondThu, 08 Nov 2012 15:21:43 +0000http://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/?p=1957After Hurricane Sandy struck, Sesame Workshop sprang into action. Elmo took to the airwaves to calm children and help them understand the disorder surrounding them. We used our social media outlets to make sure as many affected families as possible were aware of the resources and tools offered by our hurricane outreach kit. And this […]

]]>After Hurricane Sandy struck, Sesame Workshop sprang into action. Elmo took to the airwaves to calm children and help them understand the disorder surrounding them. We used our social media outlets to make sure as many affected families as possible were aware of the resources and tools offered by our hurricane outreach kit. And this Friday we’re airing a very special episode of Sesame Street.

In the episode, a hurricane has swept through Sesame Street and everyone is working together to clean up the neighborhood. When Big Bird checks on his home, he is heartbroken to find that the storm has destroyed his nest. Big Bird’s friends and neighbors gather to show their support and let him know they can fix his home, but it will take time. While everyone on Sesame Street spends the next few days cleaning up and making repairs, Big Bird still has moments where he is sad, angry, and confused. His friends help him cope with his emotions by talking about what happened, drawing pictures together, and giving him lots of hugs. They also comfort Big Bird by offering him temporary places he can eat, sleep, and play.

Big Bird remembers all the good times he had at his nest and realizes that once it is rebuilt, there are more good times and memories to come. Finally the day has come where most of the repairs to Big Bird’s home are done and his nest is complete. As he is about to try it out, though, the city nest inspector says it not safe, yet, because the mud isn’t dry. Big Bird is sad that he has to wait another day, but Snuffy comes to the rescue and blows the nest dry and he passes the test! Big Bird thanks everyone for being his friend and helping to rebuild his nest and his home.

]]>http://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/2012/11/08/sesame-workshop-helps-support-and-reassure-in-the-wake-of-sandy/feed/0Emergency Preparedness Kits Distributed in 15 Provinces in China Free of Chargehttp://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/2011/11/01/emergency-preparedness-kits-distributed-in-15-provinces-in-china-free-of-charge/
http://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/2011/11/01/emergency-preparedness-kits-distributed-in-15-provinces-in-china-free-of-charge/#respondTue, 01 Nov 2011 20:33:16 +0000http://www.sesameworkshop.org.php5-20.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/our-blog/?p=41Following the first phase of the educational media outreach initiative to provide emergency response resources for children and their families in China, Sesame Workshop, together with the China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF) and MSD announced today that they will begin distributing emergency preparedness content. Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street; CYDF, best […]

]]>Following the first phase of the educational media outreach initiative to provide emergency response resources for children and their families in China, Sesame Workshop, together with the China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF) and MSD announced today that they will begin distributing emergency preparedness content. Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street; CYDF, best known for launching the “Project Hope” program to help provide underprivileged children with access to education throughout China; and MSD, a global healthcare leader, launched the outreach initiative in December 2010 and the first phase distribution in April, 2011.

Sesame Workshop is committed to working with educators to create dynamic content in order to provide Chinese children with the cognitive and social skills needed to reach their highest potentials. One component of the project is to provide tools to address the needs of children in the aftermath of natural disasters and to support the development of Hope Primary Schools in poverty-stricken rural areas.

The second phase of Outreach addresses emergency preparedness. With news and learning resources dedicated to help children and their families recover from disasters, there are limited resources and instructions to help get families prepared for emergencies before they occur. To address the importance of emergency preparedness, the partners worked closely with CYDF to evaluate the materials to ensure the contents are appropriate and effective for Chinese children and their communities.

Currently, 75,000 kits have been distributed across 15 provinces in China that have been either prone or recently experienced a natural disaster. This kits include educational DVDs, which help children learn how to deal with natural disasters in an engaging way, a parent/caregiver magazine that teaches families how to develop an emergency plan and a children’s activity book which extends their knowledge with fun and useful exercises. The goal of these kits is to prepare families for the event of a natural disaster so that they can be ready to deal with whatever may come.